The resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury should be just the start of making reparations for the horrific abuse perpetrated by John Smyth that he and others in the Church of England covered up.
Smyth’s death ensures he has escaped earthly justice, but there is no reason not to prosecute Welby and his cohorts.
The Makin report into the matter makes clear that Welby, once he was informed of Smyth’s abusive activities, failed to ensure that those tasked with stopping him performed their duties.
There are also those who, even after being made aware of the abuse, continued to support Smyth, ensuring his reign of terror across three countries.
None thought to report the matter to the police, despite the weight of evidence contained in a damning report handed to Church officials. The result was a licence for Smyth to continue his activities, and a teenager in his care was subsequently found dead.
However, Welby’s resignation ‒ penned only after a petition calling on him to step down was started ‒ and hopefully to be followed by many more, is not the solution to what is evidently a huge problem in the Church.
Their resignations do not ensure that the structures that allow abusers to remain in the Church, and to thrive, are broken down.
It is telling that the Church is yet to implement the recommendations of an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, including making alerting the police to allegations of abuse compulsory, suggesting that an independent body is required to provide oversight.
The Makin report says that priests and other Church seniors kept their knowledge of Smyth to themselves, believing it was essential for the ministry being delivered at the youth camps, designed to save people for eternity, to continue.
The irony of destroying God’s children while trying to save them seems to have been completely lost on Smyth’s ungodly supporters.